Gucci Jumps Feetfirst Into AR With Augmented Shoe Shopping Experience

Gucci is jumping into AR feetfirst with a new app that lets you try on shoes from their signature Ace lineup by superimposing AR models of the expensive kicks over your feet, so you can see how you look flexin’ a pair of Gucci’s Ace GG terry cloth sneakers, which—by the way—cost $650.

In order to bring Gucci’s Ace line up to life in AR, the Italian company turned to the AR eCommerce talent over at Wannaby, a tech company focused on using AR technology to change the way we shop.

Launching Gucci’s AR shopping experience is easy. Simply download the app from Apple’s App store and launch when complete. The app will then ask for permission to access your camera and photos. Once you have accepted, point the camera towards your feet and watch as your boring old socks turn into unnecessarily expensive sneakers!

The app lets you try on 19 different AR shoes from Gucci’s Ace lineup. To change shoes, all you have to do is swipe left or right. In just seconds shoes will appear over your feet. For the best results, make sure the area you’re standing in is well-lit and avoid wearing actual shoes; socks will do just fine.

The app isn’t 100% perfect. The AR image can be a little off at times, but it’s an overall solid experience. The app gives you a really clear idea of how the real shoes would look on your actual feet. When you move your legs around the AR shoes remain constantly attached, offering a better sense of how they look while in motion; grab a buddy and have them take a full-body photo for an even clearer look at the luxurious new you.

Since social media is a big part of the Gucci AR experience, you’re able to share your AR images with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media you use.

Image Credit: Gucci

Wannaby has a strong track record of building AR apps designed to help users “try before they buy.” Their app Wanna Nails lets you sample different nail colors, while Wanna Kicks lets you try on sneakers from various brands. Both apps have decent ratings and positive user reviews.

One advantage of using AR for shopping is that it lets you visualize products in real life vs trying to guess how they’ll look based on a simple 2D photo. AR (and VR) can assist in reducing return rates for multiple types of online shopping – even if the return rate has been reduced by 2%, that’s still a significant improvement for a business!

A recent Gartner survey shows that 100 million consumers will move to online, as well as in-store, AR shopping experiences by 2020; it has been reported that 46 percent of retail stores plan on using AR or VR as part of their customer experience by the same year.

Gucci is well aware of the benefits AR technology could bring to the average consumer shopping experience. Let’s be honest, their shoes, clothing—pretty much everything in their catalog is well out of the acceptable price range of many, many consumers, but that shouldn’t stop any of us from being able to fantasize a little – and AR can make that fantasy feel a little real.Gucci’s app is available for free in the Apple App Store.